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I'm joining in with Milliande's 2011 journal a page a day.  Don't know if I will manage one every day but I'm gonna try.  There is a daily prompt with video to watch..so some fab inspiration.  January is being inspired by the Zebra and it's really fun. 

I enjoyed using limited supplies on this page... black copic marker, charcoal and a journalling pen was all I used.  Simple but effective and no hunting around for stuff :-) 
hugs
Chris xx

Strathmore online journal workshop

Soooo much fun.... I've joined the journalling workshop series.... the first one with Pam Carriker and I'm so exited.  Not least because I can learn some new techniques but because the first workshop is about recycling old artwork so my face problem from the post below is being solved ;-p  She can have as many hairstyles as I like now :-)  I scanned my sketch and converted it to black and white so I could work on it and add colour.

I enjoyed the first process so much that I dug out some more art that I had done previously and did another collage with it.  Loving it ... and the new look I can produce with stuff I had forgotten about.

Will come back and show you the pages as they progress.
hugs
Chris xx

Sketch journal page3

This is one of my favourite sketches.... I don't know whether it is because of her hair... or if it's because her eyes are larger but something attracts me more to this one than the previous two.

I seem strangely drawn to the colour blue lately... which I find weird as it isn't usually one of my favourite colours being a bit cold.  I used watercolour pencils on this one ....

but I thought it a bit pale and didn't want to wet the paper too much as it's only sketch paper, so I added it bit more colour to the eyes lips and face with pencil again.

Hugs
Chris xx

Sketch journal page2

One of the fun parts of trying out sketching different  faces is that they always end up looking so completely unlike what I imagine they will.  I am not working from reference photos yet... I guess that I will do this at a later date... I quite like the surprise at the end of my sketching so for now I am just going with the flow :D

It would be really freaky if I came across anyone in real life who actually looks similar to one of my drawings...ooooer.  I think I liked this one better before I added colour ... I used normal coloured pencils this time... liked them better than the pastel pencils.

I am getting better every day... though it may not look like it to you...lol 

You will see as the days go on.  It is definitely right that the more you do something... the better you become and the easier it gets.  I am trying to leave the mistakes I've made just so I can look back myself and see what I have achieved in future weeks.  Sometimes I just don't see that something isn't right until I look at the finished sketch and then it's too late to erase it anyway.

No matter.... I am learning to love my art... warts and all :D

Thanks for looking

hugs

Chris xx

Art Journal cover

Well I didn't quite get to wallow in self pity over my bug invasion as my pal Chriss decided that no matter if I was poorly or not it was time for us to have another get together and playtime. So I packed my bags and headed off with my germs (hope I didn't spread 'em) and had a fab few days creating... in between the coughing, sneezing and sitting with loo roll plugging me nostrils (what a sight for sore eyes...rofl)
Debbie joined us for some fun and I finally got to play with my Tim Holtz goodies though not in an obvious way. Some of you will know from previous posts that I have trouble with faces so I decided that it's time to face my demons and practice makes perfect. I am gonna fill an art journal with my face sketches and paintings and hopefully I will improve through time and end up being to do what I've always wanted to and that is to do a lifelike facial portrait.
So this is the front and back cover of my journal and I used my Tim Holtz distress inks as watercolours for this sketch. I used a flourish stamp from Crafty Individuals to decorate my little lady and used the distress inks and grungeboard for the background and lettering.
More faces to come later as I actually managed to do 3 while I was with the girls... there's nothing like a bit of encouragement from your number one fans...lol (Thanks lasses...MMwwaaah)
hugs
Chris xx

A huge belated Happy New Year....

to all of you my lovely blogging buddies. Hope 2010 is a fabulously creative year for all of you. My mojo has been out in the snow throwing snowballs over the last few weeks I think... because it hasn't been beside me as I've sat on the sofa toasting me toes. I love the snow as long as I don't have to venture out in it and/or dig out the car...sigh!! How can something that looks so beautiful be such a pain in the rear :D

I've found myself still been searching for something creative that leaves me feeling content in what I'm doing.... lately I've seemed to be flitting and unable to concentrate on any one thing... it takes me an age to get started and then I struggle to be happy with what I've created...hmmmm need to set myself some goals I think.

After wanting to have a play and try something new I decided that it was time that the inspiration I have gained from the fabulous Teesha Moore was ready to be unleashed and I have begun an art journal. Sorry the photos are pants.... couldn't scan the pages because they are in a spiral bound book. Think you'll get the idea though. It took me hours and hours to do these two pages... mostly because as you know I am guilty of forgetting when to stop once I get a pen in my hand, so I went a bit mad with the doodling. I think I should have taken some step by step pics cos the background is totally unrecognizable from how it started out :D
Teesha Moore usually paints her backgrounds first but I was too impatient to wait for paint to dry ( when I wanna do something... I need to do it now...lol) so after adding my magazine cuttings to my pages ...I filled in the gaps in the background with coloured pencil and I'm glad to say I ended up really happy with the result.
Teesha's style is so vibrant and colourful and doing these pages filled me with excitement ( now that's a novelty for me ). I really was absorbed in what I was doing and I've even begun another 3 pages... so for a little while at least I guess this is my new thing lol
Thanks for looking...see you again soon.
hugs
Chris xx

Dedicated follower of fashion....

I never was...lol ...but the words of the song were buzzing round in my brain while I was doing this sketch. Don't think I would have looked good in this style but it was fun to draw :D
I've had lots of fun doing sketches and painty backgrounds but I am doing my pages digitally at the moment (just in case you're wondering )by scanning the separate elements so that I can have more ways of manipulating my images. Eventually I think I will build up some printable sheets so that I can re-use the images and incorporate them into my get down and get sticky journal pages in the future.
hugs
Chris xx

He sleeps....shhhhhhhh

It just wouldn't do to wake him .... you know who I mean... that pesky black dog. Like a naughty puppy.. he yapped and tortured me... he laid down and was quiet for a while and just when I thought he would give me peace he darn well decided it was playtime. I'm too old for this... believe me!!! Anyway don't know how long for... how long's a piece of string... but finally he decided I deserved a break and settled down to sleep and if we're all very quiet he may just sleep for a while ALL Together now.... SHhhhhhhh LOL

I managed a few more pages in my journal and took time out to smell the coffee
thought about painting my nails

and even managed to get me some beauty sleep

Hope you likeeee.

On a slightly more serious note I appreciate all the support I've received over the last week... thanks to each and every one of you who have left me a comment and/or emailed me. Depression can be a very lonely illness and although it saddens me that I'm one of MANY sufferers it does help to know that others can empathise.

I know that Depression is a difficult illness to understand (hey I don't bl**dy understand it myself and I've lived with it for years... it's become a lodger in my home) but from my own point of view I don't expect people to understand... only to accept. My close family and friends try very hard but often I shut them out completely and withdraw from everyone with my demons, but the joy is that when the light shines again they're there waiting for me no matter how many times the light flickers. That's all I can ask.

hugs

Chris xx

Don't read this if you're in a cr*p mood...

Just look at the pictures.
First go at a journal for when I can't see the wood for the trees.

The black dog had got me and because this is MY blog I feel like taking my frustration out here. I have nothing in the world to whine about but the black dog takes no prisoners and I don't get let off that easily. Two hours ago I was as happy as a pig in muck.... now I'm fed up, can't sleep and wish I had a punchbag tethered to my ceiling to take my frustration out on. I have so often put my happy smiling face out there and pretended there is NOTHING WRONG WITH ME but do you know what... THERE IS and why am I hiding it. Why are we so obsessed with people being happy and why is DEPRESSION a dirty word!! I suffer from depression... I always have.... its part of what makes me me... and part of what makes the good times better. I'm tired of pretending... tired of wearing a face on the outside that doesn't mirror the inside and the confusion that goes on there.

So from today I'm changing the way I blog... I'm going to blog for ME and if you join me along the way then that's great but if you feel like jumping off then that's fine too. If I feel like cr*p I'm going to say so and if I'm happy I'll say so too but WYSIWYG from now on. Some days I wanna blog but I can't... some days I wanna blog hop but I can't and some days I wanna create but I can't and anyone who says there's no such word as CAN'T has NEVER suffered from depression. I'm not feeling sorry for myself and I don't want pity... this isn't a pity party so don't bring cake... it's just a fact. It is what it is... and I am what I am.

Rant over.... could be deleted by tomorrow but what the heck... I did it cos I could... said it cos I wanted too and feel better for it!!

xx